


Race Study: Half-Elves

by jbaldwin3298



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 22:22:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1619075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbaldwin3298/pseuds/jbaldwin3298
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Jason Baldwin, I'm a free-lance concept artist.  I am currently working on a piece of fantasy centered around a Half-Elf named Tao Vaul.   This is one of the first works, a profile, or study if you will, of the Half-Elf race.  Hope you enjoy!  Also, if you have feedback, please post it.  Thanks!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Race Study: Half-Elves

RACE STUDY  
HALF-ELVES

I. UPBRINGING  
Half-Elves are a cross breed of an Elf and a member of one of the Lesser Races (Humans or Dwarves).  
When a Half-Elf is born into Pure Elven society, they and their mother are generally killed. Since Pure Elves see themselves as ‘the utmost in purity’, inter-racial breeding is seen as the lowest form of disgrace, and those who commit the ‘crime’ pay dearly for it. In this society, it is rare for a Half-Elf to survive past the age of ten. Once in a great while, a child will be taken in in secret, or at least provided with some means of support. This is very rare because those who are discovered aiding a child are swiftly taken into custody, tortured and executed.  
In a Human society, the infants are left to live, but are severely oppressed. They will rarely be accepted into society, and will often end up as criminals. Of course, there are exceptions, but these are few and far between.  
The most welcoming society that Half-Elves can be born into is a Dwarvish one. Most Dwarvish families will readily accept a Half-Elf child. The child will be schooled and taught a trade or profession. Eventually though, most children raised this way will begin to feel they are out of place, since they are, physically at least, opposites of Dwarves.  
One of the biggest dangers that Half-Elves face growing up is being hunted down by Pure Elves for sport. Like stated, Pure Elves see Half-Elves as a plague upon the world, so they are mercilessly eradicated. Pure Elves are cruel beings, and their society revolves around combat and death. The way Pure Elves gain status is by hunting down and killing those that are deemed ‘worthy opponents’ by a council of elder hunters who have proved themselves time and time again by defeating worthy ‘prey’. Half-Elves are always considered worthy prey, and thus hunters compete to have the honor of killing them. 

II. PHYSICAL TRAITS CHARATERISTICS  
To most, Half-Elves are not a pretty sight. All Half-Elves have dark skin, but what color it is seemingly random. There are three main skin colors that most Half-Elves have: a dark brownish red, a dark patchy yellow, and plain dark grey. One rare skin color is a dark swampy green. Most Half-Elves have only one skin color, but some possess spots or stripes of another color.  
The skin of a Half-Elf appears very different from the skin of the other races. It is thick and rough, and it sometimes has tough, craggy ridges forming patterns on the surface, especially on the chest, back and shoulders.

 

Half-Elves have a very imposing physical stature; the average of Half-Elves will stand somewhere between six and a half and eight feet high. Typically, the taller ones will tend to be more wirery, and the shorter ones will be more muscular. For an unknown reason, Half-Elves tend to be even taller than Pure Elves. Also, they are generally heavier built than the average Pure Elf, with wider shoulders, thicker limbs and sturdier bones. The only race that outdoes Half-Elves in terms of mass and strength are the Drauzuga.  
One strange thing that may be attributed to their strength, is that Half-Elves’ bodies can accept organic or inorganic implants with little or no trouble.  
All Half-Elves are born sterile, which means that very few children come from Half-Elves. Through magic though, a half-Elf sorcerer can make themselves and a partner fertile, and thus be able to have children. The children of two Half-Elves are born fertile.  
The most unsettling physical trait that Half-Elves possess is that they have no distinguishable features in their eyes. Where in the other races you can clearly see an iris, cornea and pupil, half elves have solid black eyes. This makes most people uncomfortable when interacting with them, as they cannot tell where the Half-Elves are looking.

III. SKILLS AND NATURAL ATTRIBUTES  
Because of their typical chaotic upbringing, most Half-Elves are uneducated and illiterate. Even so, most Half-Elves have incredible intuition, and are very intelligent when it comes to self-preservation and survival. They are also able to learn very fast, and are quite capable of mastering a skill in a fraction of the time that it would take anyone else to learn the basics of it. This includes combat, science, and almost anything else that they put their minds to. They seem to understand things that others do not, which helps them learn so fast. Half-Elves also have a natural knack for magic, and seem to be able to tap into it even easier than great sorcerers and wizards. But even though they can tap into it, they seem to still need to learn how to harness it for more than the simplest feats from an external source, whether it be books or a teacher.  
No one knows how long Half-Elves live, since their lives are shrouded in such mystery and secrecy, but they seem to live as long, or longer than Pure Elves.  
Half-Elves are known to possess immense strength, and some have proved to be even stronger than their Pure Elf relatives.  
Half-Elves are also generally very good with their hands. They can quickly build or repair almost anything.


End file.
